Ecological Indicators最新文献

{"title":"Exploring the application potential of ecoacoustic indices as a rapid assessment tool of avian species richness in southeastern pine forests","authors":"Katherine E. Richardson ,&nbsp;Shelby L. Sullivan ,&nbsp;Robert T. Meyer ,&nbsp;Lisa E. Mills ,&nbsp;Lucas Pittman","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficacy of using ecoacoustic indices as a rapid assessment tool of the avian community has yet to be studied in southeastern pine forests. Here we use a passive recording method and information theoretic approach to explore whether the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI) and Normalized Difference Soundscape Index (NDSI) vary in relation to avian species richness and factors considered to influence species richness. We also examine how patterns change depending on time-scale (seasonal average per hour versus seasonal average) and test whether these indices vary in relation to species connectedness of a site. Seasonal average ACI and NDSI did not change significantly with management actions (i.e., supplemental feeding, snag retention and prescribed burn recency), though management actions were included in the best-supported models. Anthrophony was included in the best models regardless of time-scale for both ACI and NDSI and had a significant, nonlinear effect on hourly average ACI depending on season. In general, there were nuanced differences in how ACI and NDSI related to factors thought to influence species richness, and the relationship to these variables depended on the timescale of analysis. Neither ACI nor NDSI related to the cooccurrence of indicator species or breeding season avian species richness. However, we found NDSI to be most consistent among highly connected recording sites that share many species with many of the other recording sites. Our results provide new insights into the application potential of ecoacoustic indices in southeastern pine forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114802"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retraction notice to \"Forest restoration and biodiversity enhancement across China: Regional case insights into ecosystem function recovery and conservation outcomes\" [Ecol. Indic. 178 (2025) 113985]","authors":"Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Lixiao Ni ,&nbsp;Hind Alofaysan ,&nbsp;Mammadova Simuzar Sultan ,&nbsp;Norboy Karimov","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114770","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114770","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114770"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating ecology and aesthetics: A synergistic forestry model based on a small-scale managed secondary forest","authors":"Yijun Lu ,&nbsp;Xinmiao Ruan ,&nbsp;Chunlei Yue ,&nbsp;Yue Wang ,&nbsp;Weicheng Li ,&nbsp;Youli Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiaoyi He ,&nbsp;Guofu Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114801","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114801","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the association between forest landscapes' visual and ecological quality is critical to multipurpose forest system management in certain forested areas. To that end, this study builds a comprehensive system for evaluating landscape quality to ascertain both visual and ecological quality at the scale of small, managed secondary forest units. Specifically, by integrating analytical hierarchy process (AHP) - technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS), structural equation modeling (SEM), and coupling coordination models, we evaluated the coupling associations between these two quality dimensions across vegetation types and their impacts on scene beauty. Moreover, based on the findings, scenario analyses were performed to implement various management interventions and optimization strategies. Our results show that evergreen coniferous forests demonstrate higher visual quality, evergreen broad-leaved forests are of superior ecological quality, and bamboo forests perform poorly in both respects. The key factors for enhancing scenic beauty include neatness, canopy line, the number of ornamental seasonal phases, and tree species richness. In contrast, high carbon storage and canopy density can reduce aesthetic value. The results of the scenario analysis show that light thinning can synergistically enhance visual and ecological quality. Overall, targeted forestry measures can effectively balance aesthetic and ecological functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114801"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not an event but a process: challenging common misconceptions in subalpine forest decline","authors":"Dajeong Choi,&nbsp;Hyeon-Ho Myeong,&nbsp;Cheongok Jeon","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extreme weather events (EWEs) are widely recognized as key drivers of ecological change because of their immediate and significant impacts. However, to date, most studies have focused on a most recent event, neglecting the history of EWEs which could reveal accumulated long-term climatic stress. In contrast to EWEs, Climate extremes (CEs) offer prolonged perspective that could address the limitations of a single EWE-based explanation for the abrupt decline of subalpine forest.</div><div>Here, using the recent subalpine forest decline and climatic dataset in Korea, we identified multiple EWEs occurring prior to dieback. Past EWEs had higher intensity and longer duration than the most recent EWE, suggesting that an EWE itself had limitations in explaining the whole decline process. We therefore propose a novel conceptual framework, which addresses abrupt forest decline with accumulated climatic exposures from CE and response detection threshold. Our conceptual framework explains how abrupt-delayed response is detected through various methods such as remote sensing and dendrometer.</div><div>In conclusion, CE represents one of the primary drivers of subalpine forest decline and offers an alternative explanation for abrupt dieback events that the latest EWE alone struggles to account for. Further research quantifying detection thresholds of indicators with frequency, intensity and duration of EWE will improve forecasting and management of subalpine forests under increasing climate variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114745"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoupling the effects of ecological restoration and climate variability on air quality improvement over China's loess plateau: A decade-long observational assessment (2015–2024)","authors":"Zhaoquan He ,&nbsp;Xue Shang ,&nbsp;Xiukang Wang ,&nbsp;Yingying Xing ,&nbsp;Xiaoze Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114822","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Disentangling the contributions of ecological restoration and climate variability to regional air quality improvement remains a critical challenge for nature-based solution assessments. Here, we integrated satellite NDVI, ground-based air quality monitoring (PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃), and meteorological data to construct a decadal (2015–2024) site-year panel across China's Loess Plateau. Using random forest meteorological adjustment, two-way fixed-effects panel models, structural equation modeling, and threshold regression, we provide four novel contributions. First, we isolate the independent net effect of vegetation restoration: after removing meteorological fluctuations and spatial-temporal fixed effects, each 0.1-unit NDVI increase reduces PM₁₀ by 9.06 μg·m⁻³ (95% CI: −11.42 to −6.70) in semi-arid zones and 6.88 μg·m⁻³ (95% CI: −9.23 to −4.53) in semi-humid zones, with no significant effect in arid zones. Second, we identify a critical NDVI threshold (≈0.45): below this level, PM₁₀ reduction is negligible; above it, the purification effect accelerates sharply. Third, we quantify mediation pathways: vegetation reduces PM₁₀ indirectly by increasing humidity and reducing wind speed and radiation (mediation proportion: 34–47%). Fourth, we diagnose the O₃ trade-off: greening is associated with significant O₃ increases only in southeastern, high-NOx zones where high-BVOC (biogenic volatile organic compounds) species (<em>Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus</em> spp.) dominate; this effect is statistically mediated by increased temperature and radiation. Our findings provide the first regional-scale causal evidence that ecological restoration independently improves air quality under adequate moisture conditions, establish a quantitative coverage target (NDVI ≥0.45) for maximizing co-benefits, and demonstrate that O₃ outcomes are species-dependent—requiring BVOC-sensitive afforestation in polluted areas. The analytical framework is transferable to other water-limited restoration regions globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114822"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Vegetation sensitivity shift from temperature to radiation dominance in Northwest China’s drylands—implications for ecosystem stability in mid-latitude drylands” [Ecol. Indic. 184 (2026) 114693]","authors":"Yuanbo Lu ,&nbsp;Yang Yu ,&nbsp;Jianming Deng ,&nbsp;Lingxiao Sun ,&nbsp;Chunlan Li ,&nbsp;Jing He ,&nbsp;Zengkun Guo ,&nbsp;Ruide Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114812","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114812","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114812"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147710079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamics of ecosystem service values under land cover change in the Dinder semi-arid biosphere reserve, Sudan","authors":"Elharith A.A. Hagr ,&nbsp;Elmugheira M.I. Mohammed ,&nbsp;Nasradeen A.H. Gadallah ,&nbsp;Tarig T. Hassan ,&nbsp;Ali Omer","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land use and land cover (LULC) changes strongly influence ecosystem service values (ESV), yet their dynamics in semi-arid biosphere reserves remain underexplored. This study quantifies LULC dynamics and their associated ESV changes in the Dinder Biosphere Reserve (DBR), a unique protected area in Sudan, from 1990 to 2034 using multi-temporal satellite imagery and scenario-based modeling. Findings show that dense tree cover declined by 48.20% (1990–2000), then partially recovered by 2014, but is projected to decrease again by 2034. Grasslands and sparse trees exhibited alternating expansion and contraction. While wetlands and water bodies initially declined, they are expected to expand in the future under a business-as-usual scenario. Total ESV declined by 26.67% (US$ 7.29–5.34 billion). Sensitivity analysis shows that water bodies (CS = 0.53) and dense trees (CS = 0.44) are leading contributors to the total ESV. These results underscore the need for adaptive, spatially targeted management to sustain ecosystem functions in semi-arid biosphere reserves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114821"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Refining CASA model for robust carbon sequestration assessment: A case study of Northeast China","authors":"Youcheng Pan,&nbsp;Yuanxiang Wu,&nbsp;Shi Sun,&nbsp;Mengmeng Li,&nbsp;Dehui Meng,&nbsp;Tingting Li,&nbsp;Mingfeng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114808","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114808","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) is a widely used light-use-efficiency (LUE) model for estimating terrestrial carbon sequestration, yet its accuracy remains limited in climatically heterogeneous regions. We present a regionally adapted CASA framework that (i) calibrates maximum LUE (<em>ε</em>_max) for six vegetation types in Northeast China using site-level observations, (ii) incorporates a nitrogen-limitation scalar (<em>N</em>_ε), (iii) couples the revised model (CASA-N-Opt) with GSMSR to quantify carbon sink strength and trends, (iv) improves the spatial resolution of the carbon-sink product from 500 m to 30 m via a mass-conserving refinement guided by high-resolution proxies. Key findings include: (1) <em>ε</em>_max values (g C·MJ⁻¹) range from 0.326 (deciduous needle-leaf forest) to 0.677 (cropland) with the <em>N</em>_ε marginally increasing for natural vegetation but considerably decreasing for cropland. (2) CASA-N-Opt alleviates the systematic underestimation of the original CASA, reducing RMSE by 36% and increasing R² from 0.807 to 0.873. Forests, croplands, and wetlands saw RMSE drop by 22–46%; summer and autumn RMSE fall by 53% and 30%, respectively. Cross-validation confirmed robust spatial transferability, with extrapolation RMSE well-controlled for croplands and wetlands. (3) Mean annual regional sequestration is 147 Tg C·yr⁻¹ (130.4 g C·m⁻²·yr⁻¹), with forests (63.9%) and croplands (36.4%) as dominant contributors, while wetlands (0.2%) act as a weak sink and grasslands (−0.5%) as a weak source. From 2003 to 2020, forest sink strength declined, cropland remained stable, while wetlands and grasslands shifted toward stronger sequestration. The proposed CASA-N-Opt framework eliminates systematic bias and provides a reliable tool for regional carbon accounting and low-carbon planning in temperate-boreal landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114808"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Topographic modulation of drought propagation establishes low-elevation hotspots and mid-elevation climatic refugia in Southern Africa","authors":"Minyahel Tilahun ,&nbsp;Solomon G. Tesfamichael ,&nbsp;Takehiro Sasaki ,&nbsp;Ayana Angassa","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114807","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114807","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drought dynamics across Southern Africa remain poorly understood, particularly regarding the topographic mechanisms that influence their spatial development and ecological consequences. Yet, the mechanisms by which local topography modulates drought propagation across elevation gradients, a key control on regional vulnerability, remain uncertain. We precisely quantify this critical mechanism. This study integrates high-resolution climate data (1950–2022) with future Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) projections to quantify three key aspects: 1) multi-year drought regimes, 2) topographic controls on drought propagation mechanisms, and 3) identification of hotspots of hydroclimatic vulnerability across various topographical complexities. We found the most severe long-term aridification occurs at higher elevations (2000–2500 m), where SPEI24 trends are strongest (<em>r</em> = 0.6). In contrast, mid-elevation zones (1000–1500 m) displayed a persistent hydroclimatic buffer, exhibiting the slowest drought propagation rates and a decadal-scale shift toward shorter drought timescales, a pattern projected to intensify, with low-elevation zones accelerating toward more persistent drought conditions. This buffering effect, driven by orographic precipitation and reduced evaporative demand, creates distinct climatic refugia. Regionally, we identified a significant post-2000 expansion in the dominance of short-term droughts (SPEI01, SPEI03), with the fastest drought propagation in low-elevation and regional hotspots (e.g., Angola and Namibia). Our results demonstrated that drought development is fundamentally controlled by the interaction of timescale and topography. We, therefore, conclude that effective early warning systems must be spatially and temporally tailored by prioritizing rapid-onset agricultural alerts for lowlands while monitoring long-term hydrological deficits in high-elevation areas to mitigate ecological and societal consequences across Southern Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 114807"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147612846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating stand structural and functional impacts of understory removal in forests dominated by low-nutrient specialists in South Korea","authors":"Si Ho Han ,&nbsp;Mark Bryan Carayugan ,&nbsp;Ji Young An ,&nbsp;Woo Bin Youn ,&nbsp;Tomonori Kume ,&nbsp;Byung Bae Park","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Characterizing the impacts of understory removal, a practice regulating stand structural and functional processes through deliberate control of resource competition, is fundamental to advancing the sustainable management of open canopy forests with dense undergrowth. However, whether understory management is effective in areas dominated by conifers that are tolerant of nutrient limitation remains underexplored. This study investigates soil physicochemical properties, overstory metrics, fine root biomass and necromass by depth, and litterfall production by component in <em>Pinus rigida</em> forests with intact (CON) and eradicated (UR) understory strata for up to five years (2015–2020). Understory removal exerted a limited influence on most soil properties, except for available P, which decreased by 70%, and Ca²⁺, which increased by at least twofold in UR (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). All overstory metrics remained uniform regardless of the presence or absence of the understory. Both CON and UR followed a similar negative vertical fine root biomass and necromass distribution with depth, whereas annual production of foliar, non-dominant twig, bark, seed, and miscellaneous litter was significantly greater in CON than in UR (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Given the minimal structural and functional gains from understory removal, it is thus more reasonable to maintain an understory layer in forests populated by low-nutrient specialists to refine overstory stem quality and continue the delivery of other forest regulating and supporting ecosystem services. Our findings contribute to the development of effective understory management strategies, providing valuable insights into the sustainable use and management of forest resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11459,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Indicators","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 114730"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147407847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}